Most people don’t know what the phase means, “Life on a Shelf“. Every day we bump into people that life their life by someone else standards, keeping their own self and personality locked away. I will explain in a few what exactly “Life on a Shelf” really means, and when you’ve finished reading the article, you’ll realize you know people, and maybe even yourself, that live in such a way. It makes me sad when I come across these people who don’t even know that there is something wrong. A good portion of the worlds population live in such a fashion without ever truly realizing that they’re only hurting themselves.
Life on a Shelf means exactly what most would think it means, that you live your life acting as how others want you to be instead of being true to YOU. There is a very important distinction between being polite and being a fake. When you’re polite, you are still allowed to be yourself without disconnecting from yourself, you’re still able to be who you are without cutting off apart of yourself or being divided. For lack of a better word, I’m going to call those who have their “Life on a Shelf” fake, because oppressed sounds … Too awkward. Fake people aren’t born fake, but instead are groomed to be this way. They are told that certain words are “triggers” for making others upset, and while this is true, it makes a person completely and wholey avoid a topic or subject with any group of individuals, regardless of background. They shy away from confrontation even if the confrontation would be good for them and help them advance either in job, at school, or within the home. They tend to keep what makes them upset to themselves, tightly held to their heart as if someone might take it away. As time presses on, these people, though their intentions are good, end up destroying themselves. There is a good balance between being fake and being an out in your face blunt Ahole, I should know, I’m the blunt Ahole who tends to tell it exactly how it is.
Being open and honest with others who cause a person who has their Life on a Shelf is hard, and can be nearly impossible. I greatly encourage open conversation, debates no matter the topic, and most importantly confrontation. Confrontation is their worst nightmare because they want everyone to like them, even if they don’t like the people themselves. It tends to be a personality error where they will bend over backwards trying to make these people happy, but in reality they’re just continuing to further destroy themselves. I want to see more people become more wholey honest with themselves and others, just remember, don’t be like me, be more tactful. Not everyone can get away with being the Blunt B on the Block.
Sunken Thought 